Funeral Music for Queen Mary

Steven Stucky

Quick Overview

It was at the suggestion of Esa-Pekka Salonen that I have made a transcription of four sections of Purcell?s "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary". In working on the project I did not try to achieve a pure, musicological reconstruction but, on the contrary, to regard Purcell?s music, which I love deeply, through the lens of 300 intervening years. Thus, although most of this version is straightforward orchestration of the Purcell originals (three sections for trumpets, trombones, and drums; one for chorus), there are moments when Purcell drifts out of focus.